Paddy Lowe believes Mercedes’ eighth consecutive Constructors’ title victory “received buried” within the drama surrounding the 2021 Drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi, and it ought to have been “large information” in its personal proper.
The title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton went right down to the final lap at Yas Marina in 2021, as did the combat between Pink Bull and Mercedes for who took prime honours among the many groups.
Whereas Verstappen handed Hamilton on the ultimate lap to take the Drivers’ title in controversial circumstances, Mercedes secured Constructors’ honours for a report eighth straight season, after a year-long battle with Pink Bull between all 4 of their drivers.
Lowe acknowledged to PlanetF1.com that System 1 is a “sport of jeopardy”, which contributed to the explanation why he was “fairly completely satisfied” to see Verstappen take the Drivers’ crown for the primary time in 2021, however feels extra ought to have been manufactured from his former workforce’s success within the Constructors’ standings.
Mercedes dropped down to 3rd within the workforce standings after the mass regulation modifications for 2022, with Pink Bull and Ferrari having largely run effectively away from the eight-time champions for many of the season – George Russell’s victory in Brazil being the one time a Mercedes received a race all 12 months, however they’d began the 12 months even additional away from the entrance.
“No, in no way,” former Mercedes government director Lowe advised PlanetF1.com when requested if he had any doubts the workforce would bounce again from their tough begin to 2022.
“It’s simply such a troublesome course of. With the complexity of the vehicles lately, the speed at which you’ll develop, particularly elementary points of them, throughout the season, it’s very, very troublesome.
“You recognize, the clock retains working and also you’ve received to maintain pushing stuff out, and there’s a variety of frustration there when you recognize what’s improper, however you may’t repair it rapidly as a result of it includes some very troublesome elements to vary rapidly and so forth. So I felt for his or her ache round that.
“I imply, alternatively, they’d a implausible run, so there’s completely no motive to really feel upset by what they’ve achieved – it’s received to cease a while, hasn’t it? They usually stopped effectively past anybody else’s excessive watermark there. So you recognize, all credit score to the workforce.
“That’s one of many bits I felt a bit upset about from Abu Dhabi final 12 months, was the way it was all concerning the driver and the controversial Drivers’ Championship.
“And the implausible success of Mercedes within the Constructors’ – it’s simply unbelievable to win eight Constructors’ Championships in a row.
“That far eclipses any single Drivers’ Championship by whether or not it was Lewis or Max within the one 12 months, an eighth consecutive Constructors’, that ought to have been large information and it actually received buried, which I believed was actually horrible.”
Learn extra: Paddy Lowe unique: On life after F1, however hints a return might are available in one other type